A Doctor By Any Other Name
by NKelley
Summary: The Doctor and Donna Noble had left Rose Tyler and the Metacrisis Doctor stranded in the alternate universe. Had Rose made a terrible mistake? Was this Doctor really the same man? Would they ever be able to move past everything they had been through? A look into what happened that fateful day and whether Rose and the Doctor would ever get their happily ever after.
1. Chapter 1

First, the legalities. I do not own or claim to own the fictional characters or series that this work of fiction is based upon. All copyrights for Doctor Who and the characters of Rose Tyler, Jackie Tyler, and the Metacrisis Doctor belong to BBC, Russell T. Davies, and any other authors or entities that can lay claim to them, specifically the writing pertaining to what I have expounded upon from the episode Journey's End. I've merely borrowed them to take a peek into their world and play around a bit. I intend no malice; it was done purely for fun. However, the story depicted here is an original creation by me and belongs to me.

Now, that having been said, I hope you enjoy the story.

**A Doctor By Any Other Name…**

**By N. Kelley**

Rose looked down at the hand intertwined with hers. The hand of a man that she used to know so well.

The Doctor.

Only he wasn't really the Doctor. How could he be? He had only just been created this very day. Her Doctor, _The_ Doctor had been alive for centuries. He had saved countless millions of innocent beings. This Doctor had just massacred an entire alien race.

Mind you, she couldn't exactly blame him for what he had done. Had she been in his place…

She looked back up at the empty spot where the TARDIS had been sitting, just moments before.

What had she done? Had she really been so self-absorbed that she had just kissed another man right in front of the Doctor? Her Doctor? How could she have been so insensitive? And now she would never have the chance to apologize, to explain to him that she had just been caught up in the moment.

All he'd had to do was say three little words. Just three. I love you. How hard was that? The other Doctor had said them and he claimed to have the same thoughts and feelings as her Doctor. So why hadn't _he_ said them? If he had, she would have pushed past Donna and jumped on board the TARDIS without a second thought, without even one look behind her.

A strangled sob got stuck halfway up her throat. That was why, of course, he hadn't said those three little words. He had known that if he had dared to say them, that she would have never stayed.

And he needed her to stay. He was trying to give her the life she wanted. A life with the Doctor. He had assumed that this Doctor could give her the one thing he couldn't—a regular ordinary life. This Doctor could grow old with her. He was human and only had one life. But Rose had never cared about that. She had always known that eventually she would die and he would have to move on without her.

Of course, that meant that she was being self-absorbed again in a whole other way. That eventuality was something that the Doctor dreaded. He had told her once that she could spend her life with him and grow old with him, but that he couldn't spend his life with her. He would have to watch her grow old and die.

A tear trickled down her face. Now he would never have to do that. He could imagine her here, happy, living a life with the Doctor day after day…even if it wasn't him. More tears began streaming down her face and she gave into them.

"Rose? What's wrong?" the Doctor asked, taking hold of her other hand and turning her to face him.

"Nothing," she lied. "I'm just…trying to adjust. That's all."

"You think you made the wrong choice," he said quietly. "You have doubts that we are actually the same person."

She wiped under her eyes, completely at a loss as to what to say.

"It's okay," he assured her kindly, giving her hands a soft squeeze. "I understand. I do. But we are the same person. All you need to do is think of me as another regeneration."

"But that's just it," she protested. "I've seen the Doctor regenerate before and it changes him—" she made a face "—I mean you. When you regenerated the last time, you changed your clothes, your behavior, even the way you spoke."

"That's why this is better than a regeneration, because I'm still the same man."

"Are you? Are you really?"

"Yes," he said, releasing one of her hands but keeping a firm hold on the other one. He nodded toward her mom, who was standing a ways off with a look of concern on her face. "Come on. I think we better go check on her."

She glanced around at the beach they were standing on. Bad Wolf Bay. "I'm not ready to leave yet."

"Well, I don't really think that's an option right now."

When she opened her mouth to protest he continued, "We're not going anywhere until your dad gets here to pick us up."

She swallowed her argument and nodded.

"Although, I was just thinking if it was too much for you to be _here,_ that we could probably walk for a while—"

Rose was shaking her head, cutting him off. "No, that's just it. I'm not ready to leave this place, this beach."

The Doctor was quiet and looked like he was trying to read into her meaning.

"Do you know how long I stood here after you left me the first time?" she asked quietly, looking up at him through blurry eyes.

"I'm sorry."

"After you faded away, I cried until I thought I couldn't possibly have any tears left, and then I sat down on this beach and stared at that spot." She glanced over and pointed at the place where they had said goodbye. "I don't even know how long I was there. I just kept hoping that somehow you would find a way to change things, to come back, and that if you did, I wanted to be there." She sighed and shook her head. "Mom, Dad and Mickey just sat quietly in the Jeep waiting for me to realize what they already knew. You were never coming back."

"Yet, here we are."

Rose was quiet. She closed her eyes, remembering that day from so long ago.

_And I suppose…if it's my last chance to say it…Rose Tyler—_

She opened her eyes and looked at the Doctor. "Say it again."

He gave her hand another squeeze. "Rose Tyler, I love you."

Her eyes threatened to well up again and she nodded at him. "Okay, I think I'm ready now."

He smiled softly and pulled on her hand as he led them over to where her mother was still standing quietly, for once, watching them. "How long have we got, Jackie?"

Rose frowned.

"Your mother was on the phone while we were talking," the Doctor explained. "I just assumed that she was talking to your dad."

"I was," Jackie confirmed, looking a little happier than she had when they had first stepped out of the TARDIS. "There's a car on its way here right now to get us."

"Dad's not coming himself?" Rose asked, wishing that her dad were here where he could wrap her up in a hug and tell her that everything would be okay.

When the Pete Tyler of this world had first yielded to the idea that he could have a daughter with Jackie Tyler, even if the two of them were from another world, it had taken a while for him to get comfortable with the idea. But once he had, it had felt like Rose finally had the father that she had always wanted. He had taken care of her, had helped her rebuild the Torchwood Institute, and had even financed the dimension canon that had eventually brought her back to the Doctor. He was the father that she had always wanted so desperately. That didn't mean that she had allowed him to replace her own father in her heart. She had just allowed her heart to grow big enough to love them both.

Right now, though, he was the one person that she wished she could see. He could help her make sense out of all of this.

"He's got his hands full taking care of Tony right now," Jackie explained, pooching her lips out in a pout. "Poor little guy's got a fever and a runny nose. He's missing me."

Rose forced a smile. "I'm sure dad's missing you too, right about now, then."

Jackie shrugged happily. "Oh, you know how men are. They'd be lost without us."

The Doctor squeezed her hand. "You don't know how true that is." He gave her a warm smile. "Thank you. I don't think I've said that yet."

A wrinkle formed across Rose's brow. "Thank you for what?"

"For staying here, with me," he said easily. "I know how much you would have liked to travel again in the Tardis."

She felt a lump in her throat and swallowed it with difficulty. Of course she would have liked to travel in the Tardis again. She had missed it almost as much as she had missed the Doctor.

Then she realized something even worse than her never being able to set foot in the Tardis again. The Doctor, this Doctor, would never be able to, either. If he really was the same man and had the same feelings, which apparently he did for her, then his first love was for his Tardis. He loved his spaceship. It had been with him for hundreds of years, way longer than he had known her.

And now it was gone.

She could argue that the Doctor had marooned him here, and so he hadn't had any choice in the matter, but somehow she didn't believe that. They weren't the same person, not in the way that it would have caused some kind of paradox or problem with him remaining with the Doctor on the Tardis.

Rose caught her breath. He was the same man. He rightly was. Their thoughts truly were the same. The Doctor loved Rose. He knew that she loved him, as well, and that she would never be truly happy being separated from him.

It was like Donna had said—don't you see what he's trying to give you?

He had given her the gift of being able to stay here, in this other dimension, where she didn't have to leave her family, but could live out her short human life with a version of himself that could be human too. But this _version_ of him had given her a gift, as well. He had given her his life. If he had wanted to, he could have spent the remainder of his life traveling with the other Doctor in the Tardis. She was almost certain on some perverse level, that the Doctor might have enjoyed that. But he had given up that life of travel to remain here on Earth with her and just be human.

She felt her eyes welling up with tears and she turned to smile at the Doctor. "I can't lie. I'll miss the Tardis. I hadn't realized just how much I had missed it already until I was back on board it again."

Jackie was looking more and more decidedly uncomfortable when suddenly a wide grin broke out across her face. "Look! There's the car. I see it now." Then she frowned. "A bit small, though, isn't it? Couldn't your dad have sent something a little more posh?" she pondered, brushing past them, headed for the point in the road above them where the car had stopped.

Rose and the Doctor were alone again, if just for a moment, and she felt herself wanting to say so many things. But one thing stood out above the rest. "Are you sure you made the right choice?"

He looked at her quizzically. "I didn't really have one, did I? You heard what my pompous other self said," he proclaimed indignantly.

"Yeah, I did. But I don't buy it," she said, shaking her head. "You could've traveled on with him. He would have let you."

He crinkled his nose and ran a hand through his hair, mussing it a bit. "Yeah, but I think one Doctor per Tardis is more than enough, don't you?"

She glanced up at where her mum was busy talking to the driver of the car and then she stepped in and kissed the Doctor again. Part of her couldn't believe she was being so brazen. She would have never done this if it had been the other Doctor. Would she?

Before she could question her behavior further, the Doctor was reciprocating her kiss. His lips were soft, so sure in their movements against her own. He was a good kisser, which made her a bit curious because he wasn't human. How was he so adept at it?

She didn't have a chance to ponder it much longer because his arms had wrapped around her, drawing her to him and interrupting any train of thought she might have considered pursuing.

Only one thought remained. The car ride home was going to be torture. Trapped inside a vehicle with her mum for hours on end?

"Maybe we should find our own way back," she murmured against his lips between kisses.

Had she actually just said that? Yep, apparently she had.

He pulled away and flashed the smile that she had missed so much. The smile that did funny things to her stomach and made it completely impossible not to smile in return. It was the smile that he reserved for the times that he thought he was about to embark on some grand adventure.

Only this time, _she_ was the adventure.

"Funny, I was just thinking the same thing," he said quietly, his eyes fixed on her. "Cooped up in the car with your mother isn't exactly the reunion I'd been hoping for."

"Come on!" Jackie hollered down at them, waving them to come up to the car.

"I'll go tell her," Rose said a little breathlessly, hating to leave him even for one second. It was like she was afraid he would dissolve into a dream and disappear again if she even dared to blink.

The Doctor took her hand and intertwined their fingers. "We'll tell her together," he said, smiling again.

Perhaps he was just as hesitant to let go of her. Rose smiled and walked along beside him up the hill to the car. Her mother had already climbed into the back seat, leaving the door standing open for Rose to get in beside her. Rose shook her head. Did her mum honestly think she was going to let her separate her from the Doctor on their trip home? She felt even more convinced of her decision to remain behind.

"We're not coming," Rose said, bending down to look into the car. "You go on and we'll find our own way home."

"What?" her mother exclaimed. "Don't be ridiculous. You're exhausted. The sooner you get home the better."

"I've got a credit card. There's a little inn just down the road," Rose explained, pointing. "We'll get a room there for the night. When we're ready to come home, I'll rent a car."

"But—"

"Tell Dad I said hello and I miss him and I'll see him soon," Rose continued, cutting her off. "And take good care of little Tony. Have a safe trip, Mum."

Her mother looked like she didn't approve and seemed a bit disappointment, but she just nodded. "Okay, Rose. You be careful." She leaned forward a bit and eyed the Doctor. "You bring my daughter back in one piece, you hear?"

The Doctor gave her a little two-fingered salute and Rose shut the door and waved. They stood there together, hand in hand, and watched until the car was out of sight.

**To be concluded in part 2…Please leave feedback. I love feedback. I thrive on feedback. My muse withers and dies without feedback. :)**


	2. Chapter 2

And now the conclusion to the story:

**A Doctor By Any Other Name…**

**By N. Kelley**

**Chapter 2**

"So there's an inn just down the road?" the Doctor asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Yeah. When we came here the last time, we stayed the night there before heading back home," she told him with a sad smile. "If you look hard, you can see it off in the distance there," she said, pointing.

The Doctor followed her finger and nodded. "Are you sure you want to stay there again?"

"Why?"

"Just thought there might be bad memories."

She looked down at their hands and gave his a squeeze. "I was hoping we could make some new ones."

The Doctor smiled and started walking. Rose followed quickly, trying to keep up with his longer strides. They walked in silence for a little while, until she finally couldn't stand it anymore. "You know, he could have at least given you his sonic before he left," she teased. "He did get to keep the Tardis, after all. It only seems fair."

"Yes, but I got to keep you. I think I came out better."

She felt her cheeks get warm as a broad smile spread across her face. "Do you really have all the same memories and thoughts as him?"

He nodded. "Course, I do. Every single one. Well, up to the point that we diverged into two separate people." He smiled at her. "Go on, ask me anything."

She thought about that for a moment. Anything? "When did you first realize you were in love with me?"

Rose knew when it had been for her. She had first fallen for him before he had regenerated. It had been a slow and gradual process, but it had escalated the night that he had told her he could save the world from the Slitheen but lose her. She had fallen for him completely and utterly from that moment on. Then he had regenerated into this new man and she'd had to start all over again. But that hadn't taken her long. Nearly from the moment that he had stepped out of the Tardis and had asked 'did you miss me' and had then gone on to save them all from the Sycorax. But most definitely when he had told her that he would love for her to come with him again in the Tardis and had held his hand out to her. From there, everything had changed.

"Ooh, so very long ago," the Doctor said quietly after a moment.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. Do you remember when we went back and met Charles Dickens? And we were trapped in that cellar, about to die, and I looked at you and said—"

"I'm so glad I met you," she murmured.

He smiled. "And you said, 'me too'."

"Really? That was it?"

He nodded. "You were about to die, which wouldn't have happened if you hadn't come with me, and yet you were still glad to be there. That's when I knew I'd found someone special."

She felt her face flush. "Why didn't you ever tell me?"

"I dunno. I wanted to, lots of times. Nearly told Ida to give you that message before I went down to face the beast in the pit."

"You didn't!" she exclaimed but her astonishment quickly faded into a frown. "But why didn't you?"

"I told myself that you already knew."

Rose rolled her eyes. _Does it need to be said?_ Yes, she thought to herself, yes it does. Because she had been too young and naïve at the time to believe it could be true. She had needed confirmation. "I didn't know," she said quietly. "Most times I told myself that I was just another companion. Someone to keep you from being lonely, and that when the time came, you would move on, and I would have to console myself that I'd had the privilege to be one of your companions, even if for just a little while."

The Doctor turned to look at her as they continued walking, looking sad. "But I told you that you were different. When we met Sarah Jane all those years ago. Remember?"

She nodded. "Yeah, but I just thought you were telling me what I wanted to hear."

He shook his head. "Oh, Rose. The time I spent with you," he paused and sighed, "I've never wanted to be human so much in my long life. To just forget the rest of the universe and live life through your amazing eyes." He smiled at her. "But now I can."

Rose smiled self-consciously and looked away from him. That's when she finally noticed how far they had come and that they were nearly to the inn. It was a quaint little place, still looked exactly the way she remembered. The dark ivy had grown a little further up the large smooth rocks of the exterior and the clay tiled roof had a few more chips in it. But all in all, it seemed the same. She hurried her pace, excited about the thought of a hot bath and some food. The Doctor kept pace with her and when they reached the doorstep of the cute little inn, he reached out and pulled the door open for her. A little bell chimed announcing their arrival.

"Good morning, m'lady," a sweet older woman sang out, looking up from her counter as they walked through the front door. "And gentle sir. How may I be of assistance?"

Rose glanced around the room. The décor was simple but tidy. The warm green and blue hues lent themselves to a cozy atmosphere. Her memory was far from perfect, but the inside didn't seem to have changed much either.

The Doctor stepped forward to the long wooden counter and smiled at the plump, red-cheeked woman. "We'd like a room, please."

"Yes, of course," the woman said cheerfully, pulling a book out from under the counter. "How many nights will you be staying with us, Mr.?" She looked at him expectantly.

"Tyler," he supplied easily. "John Tyler. And this is Rose."

"Ah, Mr. and Mrs. Tyler," she said, writing the names down in the register that she had opened in front of her. "And how many nights will you be wanting to stay with us?"

The Doctor looked over at Rose. She was wide-eyed and flushed. "Uh…" she stammered. "Um, just the one night," she answered quickly, trying to compose herself. The woman had just insinuated that they were married and the Doctor hadn't corrected her. In fact, he hadn't even batted an eyelash.

"Oh, well, that's too bad," the woman said, watching them. "We'd love to have you for longer. Don't get too many visitors off the books in these parts anymore. My name's Anna, by the way." She shut the registry and nodded at the room behind her. "If you're feeling hungry at all, I can whip up some fresh chips. I'll have to check to see what fish I have on hand, though."

"That would be lovely," the Doctor assured Anna kindly when Rose failed to respond.

"Just let me go check," Anna said, and disappeared into the back room.

"Are you okay?" the Doctor asked, reaching out to touch Rose's arm gently.

"Um, yeah. Fine. The name thing just threw me."

"Sorry," he apologized. "Thought there might be less questions if we just let her assume that we were…together."

"No, it's not that," Rose said with a smile. "But when we went to that school under cover, you went by the name John Smith. You always go by John _Smith_. Why did you give her my name?"

He shrugged. "I don't know really. It just seemed appropriate."

Rose shook her head, her smile widening. "If you're going to stay here on Earth with me, are you going to adopt an Earth name?" she asked curiously.

"Why? Does it bother you?"

"No. Not at all. In fact, I think it would be weird to think of you with a name, no matter what name you give me. To me, you'll probably always be 'the Doctor'." She fidgeted with her hands for a second before continuing, "But I have to admit, I've always wondered if you had a real and proper name. I mean, besides John Smith."

"How do you know that's _not _my real and proper name?" he asked, arching an eyebrow.

Rose felt her face flash with embarrassment. She supposed that she just figured it was something alien or in another language or something. But certainly _not _John Smith.

The Doctor smiled at her and leaned down to whisper something in her ear. When he stood back up he continued, "I haven't said that name out loud in…" He frowned, furrowing his brow. "Ooh, I don't know how long. I _chose_ 'the Doctor' for my name. It was a promise that I made to myself and to any whom I would come across. Any other name just doesn't hold any meaning for me, not anymore."

Rose realized she was holding her breath, she let it out slow and carefully. The Doctor had just whispered his name. It was strange and peculiar as names went and didn't fit him at all and yet was somehow perfect for him all at the same time.

But she would never think of that name when she looked at him. In her mind, he would always be the Doctor. What was in a name anyway? Would a Rose by any other name smell as sweet?

Well, she'd like to hope that it would.

She cleared her throat quietly and flashed him a smile. "Thank you," she murmured softly. "Would _he_ have ever told me that, do you think?"

The Doctor shrugged. "It's possible. He would have had to have complete and utter trust in you to have shared it with you. That name holds power. More power than you can possibly imagine," he said, his face and voice more serious than she had ever seen him.

"Your secret is safe with me," she assured him, trying to put as much gravitas into her voice as he had in his.

He smiled and was once again himself. "Oh, I know."

"So then, John Tyler it is," she affirmed, mirroring his smile.

"Do you think Pete will mind?"

"Just let him try," she teased.

Before either of them could say any more, Anna had returned from the back room with a pleasant smile on her face. "We've got some fresh cod that I could fry up to go with those chips, if you're interested."

"Sounds delicious," Rose assured her.

"Well then, here's your key," Anna told them, reaching behind her to grab a key from the board. She handed it to the Doctor. "You're in room three. It's on the backside of the Inn. All the way down on your right."

"Thank you," the Doctor said, taking the key.

She nodded. "You just come back by here after you get settled for those fish and chips. I'll have it ready for you." She eyed the two of them expectantly. "And how would you be paying this evening?"

Rose pulled out her credit card and handed it to the woman. "With this and go ahead and charge it for the fish and chips while you're at it." Anna took it and ran it and had Rose sign the receipt. Then the Doctor and Rose went back outside and around the side of the building.

They walked up to the door that had a large brass three hanging on it. It seemed oddly out of place next to the faded and peeling burgundy paint. Rose felt a nervous flutter in her stomach as the Doctor reached down and put the key into the door. What had she been thinking when she suggested getting a room for the night? How was this even going to work?

He pushed the door open and held out his hand for her to go inside. She stepped through the door, every nerve in her body on edge. There was a large king bed, a small table, a couple of comfortable looking chairs, and a soft, oversized sofa. It was all done up in a quaint cottage motif that should have made it feel very warm and inviting.

It made Rose feel like she couldn't breathe. One bed. Of course there was only one bed. They had signed in as a couple. Why would there be two beds?

The Doctor had walked in behind her and was looking around. She wasn't sure if she was imagining it, but there seemed to be a hint of worry in his expression as well. So maybe she wasn't the only one feeling a bit uncomfortable.

"Um, I forgot to ask her about a key for the bath," Rose said, looking for an excuse to go back outside and get some fresh air. She removed her purple jacket and tossed it on the bed. "If I remember right, it's through a hall off the front room. After being held captive aboard Davros' ship, I could really go for a nice hot bath while we're waiting for our food."

"Quite," the Doctor mumbled in agreement.

"You be okay while I'm gone?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" he asked, looking puzzled. "Maybe I'll pop down and ask her about some sheets for the sofa while you're getting cleaned up."

Rose felt equally relieved and disappointed somehow all in the same moment. "Oh, okay. Well, then I guess I'll see ya in a bit."

She restrained herself from bolting out of the room and managed to walk normally back to the front entrance. When she stepped inside the front door, the little bell chimed again. Anna immediately appeared from the back room, but then she frowned. "Oh, dear. I am sorry. It will take me just a bit longer to get the fish and chips ready for you."

"Oh, no, not at all," Rose assured her hastily. "I thought I might have a wash while we were waiting on the food."

The woman smiled and reached up for a key on the board behind her. "Oh, of course. Here you are dear. It's down the hall to your left, first door on the right. There should be plenty of clean towels and amenities, but don't hesitate to shout if you need something."

"Thanks," Rose said, taking the key and heading for the hall.

She really did want a hot bath. She wasn't sure exactly how many hot baths it would take before she felt like she had washed the taint of the Dalek Master Davros from her skin, but she might as well get started on it now. More than that, though, she just needed a quiet place to think. Everything had happened so fast that she hadn't really had time to sort it out yet.

Letting her mind drift, Rose drew her bath, got undressed and slipped into the tantalizing hot water. She lay there for a while just soaking in the relaxing heat and steam, but gradually her mind clawed its way back and began swimming with thoughts and questions.

And accusations.

Now that she was away from the Doctor and she could think clearly, she was once again ashamed by her actions. The man that she had been in love with for the past four years, had stood on that beach and given her permission to live out her life happy with another man. And what had she done? Kissed the other man, right in front of him. And it hadn't just been any kiss either, she reminded herself, feeling her face flush hotter than the water could account for.

How could _he_ be feeling right now?

But at least he had Donna, she comforted herself. He wasn't alone. But it was still wrong.

Would it ever be right…with _him_?

Something inside of her flinched painfully as her thoughts turned back to the new Doctor. Here she was, pining over the other Doctor again, when she had a man who had given up everything to remain here with her. Shouldn't she be focused on that instead?

It was all very confusing. Maybe it was just a matter of letting her heart grow big enough to love them both?

Rose hurried through the rest of her bath, not wanting the Doctor to have to wait on her to eat. When she got back to the front room, she was going to ask Anna about the food, but she wasn't out there. Rose decided that she would go check on the Doctor and then they could come back for the food.

When she got back to their room, however, the Doctor wasn't there. There was a large plate of fish and chips sitting on the small table, but no sign of him anywhere. Rose left the room and went back to the front entrance feeling a little anxious. Where had he gone? The door chimed, yet again, as she stepped inside, but Anna was still nowhere to be seen. And neither was the Doctor. Not that she had expected him to be here. Rose would have seen him in passing if this was where he had gone.

But where had he gone?

"Anna?" she called out, trying to keep the worry from her voice.

She waited a few seconds, but when she got no response, she called out again. "Anna? Are you back there?"

There was the sound of a door opening and footsteps. Then Rose could make out Anna's voice. She was talking to someone. The other voice started speaking and Rose immediately relaxed. It was the Doctor.

They emerged into the front room and the Doctor was holding a bottle of red wine in one hand and two wine glasses in the other.

Anna smiled when she saw Rose standing by the front door. "Don't worry," she said, nodding at the bottle. "That's on the house. Thought you two looked like you could use a little something to wind down."

"Oh," Rose replied, caught off guard, "um, thanks."

Anna nodded. "Enjoy your evening. Oh, and I nearly forgot to mention. There will be a light breakfast in the morning, should you be interested."

"Thank you," the Doctor said smiling and holding up the wine bottle.

"G'night," Anna said with a wave.

"G'night," Rose and the Doctor both replied.

Rose was quiet as they walked back to their room. Between her hot bath and her rush of adrenaline at finding the Doctor missing, she felt a little drained. Once she was back inside the room, the feeling intensified. She collapsed into one of the chairs next to the table and eyed the food hungrily. How many hours had it been since she had eaten last?

"Are you okay?" the Doctor asked, watching her. "You seem awfully quiet."

"Sorry, I'm just hungry."

He nodded and set the wine glasses on the table. After pouring a bit of liquid into each glass, he handed one to her. "Here, I think you might need this."

She smiled and took the glass. "On an empty stomach? I might pass out on you."

"Good thing there's a bed so close, then," he replied offhandedly, sitting down in the other chair.

Rose's eyes widened and he seemed to notice. "I just meant that…Well, if you do pass out…I can…"

She laughed, and it felt good. A kind of nervous release. The Doctor laughed with her and took a sip of his wine before reaching out to grab a chip. "I seem to recall that you like these. In fact, I believe—"

"That was our first date," Rose finished for him, repeating what she had said on New, New Earth—their first outing after he had regenerated.

He smiled and popped the chip into his mouth. Rose reached out and grabbed her own chip and took a bite.

"So, tell me," the Doctor began before taking another sip of wine, "do I seem as different to you this time?"

_New, new Doctor. _

"No, not this time. But, then again, how could you?" she mused, taking a drink of her wine. "You look the same, talk the same, think the same."

"But I'm still not the same, am I?"

She took another drink. "It's just a lot to wrap my mind around," she said and then sighed. "At least I know he's got somebody this time. He's not alone. He's got Donna."

He nodded. "That makes it better for you?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I think it does."

"Are you sure it doesn't make you just a little jealous," he asked, looking curious.

"What?" she objected, fighting the urge to fidget in her seat.

"Do you remember what you asked me just before we were parted?"

"Yeah. I asked what you were gonna do," she said, fighting the surge of emotion that accompanied the memory.

"And I said I had the Tardis. Same old life. And you said—"

"On your own?" she repeated the words hollowly.

"And I said yes. But then I wasn't exactly on my own, was I?" he asked, watching her closely. "I remember how you felt when you met Sarah Jane, but you have to know that no one replaced you in my heart after you were gone. Not Donna or Martha. I nearly couldn't bring myself to allow someone to travel with me after I lost you."

She nodded quietly feeling tears sting her eyes.

"I mean that," he said sincerely. "I traveled alone for a while because I thought it would hurt less, but it didn't. And then I realized that I couldn't travel alone, not after having traveled with you. You made me need someone in a way that no one ever had before." His eyes were glassy as he smiled at her. "But no one else quite fit. You left a huge hole that no one seemed able to fill." He reached out and touched her hand gently. "You are special, Rose Tyler. I need you to know that."

Rose took hold of his hand and tears began streaming down her face. "I thought about you all the time. There wasn't a minute of any day that I didn't think about you. I told myself that you would want me to move on, but I just couldn't. Not with Mickey, not with anybody. All I could do was focus on trying to find a way to come back to you."

She wiped at the tears under her eyes, her breath catching in her chest a bit.

The Doctor moved his chair closer to hers and looked into her eyes. "And I'm so glad you did," he said, taking her other hand in his and holding them gently. "When I saw you on that street, I knew it meant that something bad had happened. In my mind, I was contemplating end of the universe scenarios. But my heart didn't care. All it cared about was that Rose Tyler had come back to me."

Rose leaned forward and rested her head against his shoulder as more tears spilled over. She couldn't trust her voice to say anything, but what she wanted more than anything was to be held.

The Doctor seemed to sense what she was feeling because he wrapped his arms around her, pulling them together. "I love you. You don't know how those three little unspoken words haunted me."

Rose leaned up and found his lips with hers. She kissed him a few times tenderly before breaking the kiss. Resting her forehead against his, she murmured, "You don't know how many sleepless nights I spent wishing I had heard you speak them."

The Doctor lifted her chin with his hand and was kissing her again, more fervently this time, and she responded by sliding her hands up his shirt and around his neck before threading them up into his hair. She had never forgotten what great hair he had.

"You can tell me if this is too fast," she murmured against his lips between kisses.

"Oh, I don't know," he replied breathily. "I wouldn't exactly call three years moving too fast, would you?"

She shook her head and then pressed her lips to his before moving down his chin to his neck. He shuddered a little under her touch when she took a taste of his skin at the base of his neck. Then, without realizing what had happened, Rose found herself on her feet, and the Doctor was quickly removing his jacket. He tossed it over on the bed in a heap next to her jacket. Then he was kissing her again, pressing their bodies together in an embrace.

"I'm sorry," he panted against her lips, "It's been a while. I may be a little out of practice."

"So, you have—" a kiss "—had—" another kiss "—practice, then?" she managed to ask.

"Well, I did tell you that I had been a father," he reminded her, reclaiming her mouth and forcing her to swallow her surprise.

He was right. She remembered. He had told her once that he had been a father, but she hadn't really given it much thought. "Yes, you did. But you tell me a lot of things. Sometimes it's hard to keep track."

"Mmm," he murmured against her lips, "I'll try to do less talking."

Rose fidgeted a little, unsure of what she was about to say. "But if I asked, would you tell me something I need to know?"

He pulled back and looked into her eyes, a shadow of worry on his brow. "Anything. Just ask."

"You've left me before," she began, feeling her face flush with anxiety. She pushed past the feeling and continued, "I need you to promise that you'll never leave me again."

"I promise," he breathed into her mouth, kissing her again. He pulled away to let her catch her breath. "I'm yours for the rest of our lives."

Rose smiled, losing herself in the moment.

And she knew that it was gonna be _fantastic_.

Fini

I hope you all enjoyed the story. I'm sure I could have written more, but I just really needed some closure on this scene, so I wrote this little puff piece to make myself feel better. I hadn't really expected to post it until someone asked me to. So I hope you liked it. My muse thanks you in advance for your feedback.

Until the next time.


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